Trust
by Firewraith
Summary: A starry night, a conversation, contradictions of character, a betrayal, and the power of trust. Very mild Kraine, and spoilers, of course. Second chapter destroyed because I really didn't like it. XD


Author's Notes: This is a quick one-shot, nothing too special. It just came to me all of a sudden, and I needed to write it down, so I figured, hey, why not post it! So here we go!

Mild Kraine warning, but nothing too intense.

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Looking to the man who has, for the entirety of our journey, been our ally and guide, I felt a sort of familiar uneasiness.

I say familiar only in the sense that I had felt this way from the beginning. Mysterious people, by nature, intrigue me...however, there was a danger in that mystery, in those fiercely calm crimson eyes. I felt that, simultaneously, I could have born my entire life to him, and run away in mortal terror of him. That was why I felt uneasy when I saw him.

Perhaps it was also because he knew too much and said too little. He seemed uninterested in cultivating any sort of relationship with us, and yet at the same time, there seemed to be a powerful love in his protection. His entire nature was a contradiction, which made him both fascinating and terrifying to me.

Fascination and terror; love and hate. My own contradiction is almost ironic.

That night, I had felt the need to talk to him. After seeing an anger in him that I never could have imagined when he finished off Kvar at the Asgard Ranch not five hours earlier, I couldn't help but feel...sorry for him, despite my wariness. I wondered what Kvar had put him through to make him so angry. I had my suspicions, of course.

I made my way over to him, weaving my way between the sprawled, sleeping bodies of Lloyd, my brother and the Chosen's would-be assassin. He sat with his back to the fire, beside Noishe, as he had done from the beginning. If he had been aware of my approach, there had been no indication of that fact.

"Professor," he spoke in a smooth, unaffected alto, surprising me, "You should be resting. You need to restore your strength."

"I'll worry about that myself," I replied, taking a seat beside him. His eyes didn't turn to me, nor did he show any other signs of acknowledging my presence besides speaking to me.

"Tomorrow will be a long day."

"Yes...the Tower of Salvation." I bit my lip for a moment, looking up at the stars, then back down to his profile, wondering if I should even say anything more. Should I voice my concerns to him, I wondered? And what difference at all would it make if I did?

"You're hesitant," he said, as if he had read my mind. That had always unnerved me, but that night, it only seemed natural.

"You are as well, aren't you?" The words left my lips before I had thought about them.

He chuckled without humor, almost seeming to grimace. "In my own way, I suppose I am."

"Because Colette will die?"

"The Chosen will be reborn as an angel, and the world will be regenerated."

Something about how quickly and nonchalantly he replied angered me, though I couldn't tell for certain why. I leaned over slightly to try to catch his sight, but he did a good job of avoiding my eyes. If I hadn't known any better - and I didn't, for that matter - I would have said that he was feeling a guilty conscience.

"Don't give me that knee-jerk response," I said, perhaps a bit harsher than was necessary, "That's not the real story and we both know it."

He seemed surprised by what I said, turning to look at me for the first time with slightly widened eyes. However, after only a moment, his cool, collected mask slipped perfectly back into place. "I'm not sure what it is you think you know so well," he said, "Are you implying that the Chosen's journey is false?"

"I'm saying that I'm almost certain there's more to it than we've been told. We already know now that the world regeneration is actually only the process of reversing the mana flow between Sylvarant and Tethe'alla...so why is the Chosen's sacrifice still necessary? The parts of the story don't add up." I stared into his eyes, searching for something, anything to indicate that my suspicions weren't baseless.

He looked away from me, almost seeming uncomfortable with my scrutiny. "Why would I know any more than you? Are you forgetting that I'm merely a hired mercenary?"

Frowning, I shook my head. "No. I don't believe that. You know too much."

"Are you suspicious of me, Raine?" There was a challenge in his voice, a sort of subdued anger. The way he spoke my name sent a tremor down my spine. Had he ever called me by my name before that moment?

It was too late for me to back out of it then. Steeling myself, I held my head high and answered him simply, "Yes, I am."

His eyes turned back to me, flickering with cold fire. It chilled me nearly to my core. Maybe I was going too far with this...after all, he had just been put through something obviously traumatic at the ranch. Maybe I was reading too far into things, as usual.

Swallowing the small lump in my throat, I softened my voice and continued, "But I really don't know why. You haven't done anything to betray our trust. I'm just..." I sighed, shaking my head and looking away from him, his gaze proving too intense for me, "I'm very worried about things as they stand. We seem to be balancing on the edge of a knife. I shouldn't be able to afford to be suspicious of people within our alliance."

"You're very perceptive," he said cryptically, "Tell me, what is it you see when you look at me?"

_Beauty_.

I had blinked a couple of times at the foolish thought, wondering where it came from. Putting it aside, I collected my thoughts and answered him as evenly as I could manage, "I see strength, but I also see vulnerability. I see detachment, and the longing for companions. Loyalty, and dishonor. Gentleness, and feriocity. Love, and hatred. And above all, deep intelligence masked by ignorance."

For a moment he was silent, looking up at the stars. Quietly, his voice more gentle than before, he asked, "Are these dissensions the reason you're wary of me?"

"Yes," I murmured, looking down, "I'm usually an acute judge of character. I can't figure you out, and that frightens me."

To my surprise, he chuckled lightly. I looked over to him, and was rather shocked to see the hints of a smile on his lips. "If I were to ask you to trust me, based in nothing else but my word, you would reject the notion out of hand?"

"I didn't say that."

"Then will you trust me?" His eyes turned to me once more, gently this time. "I won't ask you to base your faith in my actions. But believe in my words."

Faith in his actions? What was he talking about? I felt a small frown furrow my brow as I looked into his eyes, trying to understand the meaning of that. "What does my trust mean to you?"

"More than you know."

My cheeks had burned slightly at that, and at a loss of other things to say, I only replied quietly, "Then I'll trust you."

"And you have mine," he said, "No matter what should happen."

If only I had known then what was to happen the following day. My suspicions were confirmed and then some. Kratos Aurion, the angel of Cruxis, betrayed us to take his place beside Yggdrasill, the lord of both Cruxis and the Desians. The Chosen of Regeneration had her soul taken from her, to make her an empty vessel for Martel. Everything...everything had been a lie. Even now, as we rest in the Renegade base near Triet, I can't wrap my mind around it.

And yet, I can't wipe away the memory of his words. If he had known what was going to happen, then why did he want my trust? I can't help but wonder if there's some grander plan that I can't see, that maybe he left to protect us, or perhaps even help us somewhere down the line.

I look over at Lloyd, still unconscious in the bed. He'll take this harder than any of us, I think...after all, he looked up to Kratos so strongly. He'll believe now that Kratos is our enemy entirely, I'm sure of it. But...even after the angel's betrayal, I can't bring myself to call him "enemy". Lloyd won't understand that, so I'll keep it quiet.

I think I understand now what you meant, Kratos. I won't put my faith in your current actions. You knew I wouldn't be able to. So instead, I'll place it in your words. I'll believe that you are still our ally and guide, and will help us against Cruxis when the time comes.

Trust in me, as well.

And you have mine, no matter what should happen.

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Short but sweet, ne? So, review, please! Be honest if it's crap. n.n;;


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